Sir Alex Ferguson is undaunted by the prospect of facing Liverpool or Arsenal in an all-English Champions League quarter-final.

Manchester United have a one-in-three chance of meeting Liverpool after they beat Boavista to top Group A and the Merseysiders defeated Roma 2-0 to qualify as Group B runners-up.

United could also be paired with Arsenal in Friday's quarter-final draw in Nyon if, as Ferguson expects, the Gunners clinch second place in Group D.

The last all-English clash was in 1978 when Nottingham Forest beat holders Liverpool on the way to winning the trophy for the first time. Ferguson feels an all-Premiership quarter-final would not have the same allure as playing a foreign side, but he is not worried who United draw and he is just happy it can't be Real Madrid.

"Well it depends on how Arsenal do and I think we'll get either Arsenal, Liverpool, Porto or Panathinaikos," he said.

"I think the important thing, though, is that we have avoided Real Madrid and we will take whoever we get. We're in the quarter-finals and we're happy to be there. I just wanted to avoid Real Madrid at this moment in time.

"I think it would be great for England if they could get three teams in the quarter-finals, but I wouldn't say that was the reason why we are in European football. But you can't pick your opponents and if we get Liverpool or Arsenal then fine.

"We see them so often, though, that it wouldn't be the same."

Boavista have played United and Liverpool, losing 3-0 home and away to the former and drawing 1-1 at home and away to the latter, and coach Jaime Pacheco could not choose between the two :"I think when we played Liverpool earlier in the season we were better than we are now. I couldn't say which one would win and they have different ways of playing. Manchester are more offensive, while Liverpool play on the counter-attack."

Last night Laurent Blanc opened for United on 14 minutes before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer netted the second on 29 minutes and David Beckham made it 3-0 from the penalty spot six minutes after half-time.

Ferguson, delighted with United's display, added: "In the first half our football was really very, very good.

"For the first 15 or 20 minutes there was excellent football and it was a good cushion 2-0 at half-time.

"So I'm very pleased with the result and very pleased with what was a workmanlike performance by us."

Solskjaer came off with an ankle injury 15 minutes from time and Ferguson claims he could miss Saturday's home match with Middlesbrough.

However he reported that the scan on Juan Veron's heel had shown he had not broken any bones despite the fears.